Hydrangea paniculata plant named &#39;PIIHP-I&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Hydrangea paniculata  plant named ‘PIIHP-I’, characterized by its compact rounded growth habit; strong stems that hold the inflorescences upright and do not splay; thick, dark green foliage; and solid inflorescences in which the showy white sepals cover the fertile flowers.

GENUS AND SPECIES OF PLANT CLAIMED

Hydrangea paniculata

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘PIIHP-I’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofHydrangea paniculata, a member of the Hydrangeaceae family, hereinafterreferred to by its cultivar name ‘PIIHP-I’. ‘PIIHP-I’ is grown primarilyas an ornamental for landscape use and for use as a potted plant.

‘PIIHP-I’ originated as an open-pollinated seedling from seed collectedfrom Hydrangea paniculata ‘HYPMAD I’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,082)growing in Watkinsville, Ga. ‘PIIHP-I’ was selected in the summer of2006 by the inventor in a cultivated environment in Dearing, Ga. fromthe progeny of this open-pollination by continued evaluation for growthhabit and foliage and flower characteristics.

Asexual reproduction of ‘PIIHP-I’ by softwood cuttings since 2006 inWatkinsville, Ga. has shown that all the unique features of ‘PIIHP-I’,as herein described, are stable and reproduced true-to-type throughsuccessive generations of such asexual propagation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new cultivar ‘PIIHP-I’ have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withchanges in light, temperature, soil and rainfall without, however, anyvariance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe unique characteristics of ‘PIIHP-I’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘PIIHP-I’ as a new and distinct cultivar: 1)Compact rounded growth habit. 2) Strong stems that hold theinflorescences upright and do not splay. 3) Thick, dark green foliage.4) Solid inflorescences in which the showy white sepals cover thefertile flowers.

Plants of the new cultivar ‘PIIHP-I’ differ from plants of its femaleparent ‘HYPMAD I’ primarily in growth habit, stem strength, and foliageand flower characteristics, as plants of ‘PIIHP-I’ have a smaller, morecompact growth habit, stronger stems, thicker, darker green foliage, andmore dense inflorescences, whereas plants of the ‘HYPMAD I’ have alarger, less compact growth habit, weaker stems, lighter green foliage,and less dense inflorescences.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying color photographs illustrate the flower and foliagecharacteristics and the overall appearance of ‘PIIHP-I’, showing thecolor as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colorreproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differslightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanicaldescription which accurately describe the colors of ‘PIIHP-I’.

FIG. 1 illustrates the overall appearance and growth habit of ‘PIIHP-I’.

FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up view of the inflorescence of ‘PIIHP-I’.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants used for thedescription were approximately 3 years old and were grown in 11.8 Lcontainers under outdoor conditions in Watkinsville, Ga.

-   Botanical classification: Hydrangea paniculata, cultivar ‘PIIHP-I’.    Parentage: female, or seed, parent Hydrangea paniculata ‘HYPMAD I’    (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,082), male, or pollen, parent unknown    (open-pollinated). Propagation: Vegetatively by stem cuttings. Time    to initiate roots in summer: about 21 days at 32° C.-   Plant description:    -   -   Deciduous flowering shrub.—multi-stemmed; compact rounded            growth habit. Freely branching; removal of the terminal bud            enhances lateral branch development.        -   Root description.—medium, well-branched.        -   Plant size.—the original plant, now about 5 years-old in the            ground, is about 122 cm high from the soil level to the top            of the inflorescences and about 122 cm wide. First year            stems have a diameter of about 5 mm. Shape: round.            Pubescence: few coarse hairs. Exfoliation: none.        -   First year stem color.—145B when young and N199B when            mature. Second year and older stems have a diameter of about            6 mm or more. Shape: round to oval. Lenticels: approximately            5 per cm of stem length, about 1 mm in diameter and N199C in            color.        -   Second year and older stem color.—197B.        -   Stem strength.—somewhat flexible when young becoming more            easily broken as they mature.        -   Internode length.—about 3 cm.        -   Trunk diameter.—about 1.5 cm at the soil line. Color: 197B.            Lenticels: approximately 10 per cm of stem length, about 2            mm in length, about 1 mm in width, and 200D in color.-   Vegetative bud description:    -   -   Arrangement.—opposite.        -   Shape.—imbricate, rounded to globose.        -   Size.—about 1 mm in length, about 1 mm in width.        -   Color.—200D.-   Foliage description:    -   -   Arrangement.—opposite, simple. Length: about 8.5 cm. Width:            about 4.5 cm. Shape: ovate. Apex: acute. Base: acute.            Margin: finely serrate.        -   Texture (upper and lower surfaces).—thick, pubescent, like            fine sandpaper.        -   Venation pattern.—pinnate. Venation color (upper and lower            surfaces): 145C.        -   Color of emerging foliage.—144A on the upper surface and            145B on the lower surface. Color of mature foliage: 137A on            the upper surface and 138B on the lower surface. Color of            foliage in fall (upper and lower surfaces): 3C.        -   Petiole length.—about 1.2 cm. Petiole diameter: about 2 mm.            Petiole texture: pubescent. Petiole color (upper and lower            surfaces): 145B.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower type and arrangement.—Inflorescence is a panicle            about 13 cm in diameter and about 13 cm high. An            inflorescence contains about 250 or more individual sterile            flowers and about 350 or more individual fertile flowers.            Inflorescence bloom period: Summer, usually late July in            Watkinsville, Ga. The sterile flowers retain their color and            are showy for about 6 weeks. The sterile flowers have showy            sepals but no petals or reproductive organs. The fertile            flowers are mostly hidden by the sterile flowers and are not            showy. The fertile flowers have petals and reproductive            organs but no sepals.-   Fertile flowers:    -   -   Flower bud length.—about 3 mm. Flower bud diameter: about            2 mm. Flower bud shape: round. Color: 155C.        -   Flower diameter.—about 7 mm. Flower height: about 5 mm. The            fertile flowers within an inflorescence open over a period            of one to two weeks and are persistent on the plants.        -   Pedicels.—about 2 mm in length, about 1 mm in width, finely            setose, and 155B in color.        -   Petals.—5 petals per flower.        -   Petal length.—about 3 mm. Petal width: about 2 mm.        -   Petal shape and texture.—elliptical, with acute apex,            cuneate base, and entire margin. Texture of upper and lower            surfaces: smooth with no pubescence.        -   Petal color.—at peak of bloom the upper and lower surfaces            of the petals are 155A.        -   Stamens.—Quantity: usually 10 per flower. Anthers: about 1            mm in length and about 1 mm in width, and 197C in color.            Filaments: about 2.5 mm in length and about 0.5 mm in width,            and 155A in color. Pollen: produced in very small quantities            per flower (scarce), and 1558 in color.        -   Pistils.—Quantity/arrangement: 1 per flower, superior,            globose in shape. Pistil length: about 3 mm. Pistil width:            about 2 mm. Pistil color: 160C. Stigma: 3 per pistil, round            in shape and 158A in color. Style: about 2 mm in length,            columnar in shape, and 158A in color. Ovary: 1 per flower,            about 1 mm in height and width, round in shape, and 158A in            color.-   Sterile flowers:    -   -   Flower diameter.—about 1.8 cm. The sterile flowers within an            inflorescence open over a period of about one to two weeks            and are persistent on the plant.        -   Pedicels.—about 1.3 cm in length, about 1 mm in width,            finely setose, and 1558 in color.        -   Sepals.—3 to 5 (usually 4) sepals per flower.        -   Sepal length.—about 1 cm. Sepal width: about 8 mm.        -   Sepal shape and texture.—broad elliptical with obtuse to            rounded apex, acute to rounded base, and entire margin.            Texture of upper and lower surfaces: smooth with no            pubescence.        -   Sepal color.—upper and lower surfaces are 157D at peak bloom            and age to 145B with tinges of 51D.-   Fruit:    -   -   Type and shape.—the fruit is a persistent dehiscent capsule,            ovoid in shape. Length: about 4 mm. Width: about 2 mm.            Color: N199C at maturity. Quantity: about 350 or more per            infructescence. Seeds: linear in shape, about 2 mm in length            and about 1 mm in width, N199D in color, and each capsule            contains about 50 or more seeds.-   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the claimed Hydrangea cultivar    grown in the garden have not been noted to be susceptible to    pathogens and pests common to Hydrangea.

1. A new and distinct Hydrangea paniculata plant named ‘PIIHP-I’,substantially as illustrated and described herein.